Gate-latch.



T. R. VARN'ELL.

GATE LATOH.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9, L908.

Patented Aug. 17, 19%.

" INVENTOI? @0222 cm flax-0e 762% eZZ W/TNESSES MW By ATTORNEYS UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS ROSCOE VARNELL, OF EMORY, VIRGINIA.

GATELATCH.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS Rosoon VAR- NELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Emory, in the county of ashington and State ofVirginia, have invented a new and Improved Grate-Latch, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to securing means for large or small gates, andhas for its object to provide n vel details of construction for aswinging .gate latch, that will retain the gate in closed condition at apost, until the latch is manually released.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts, as is hereinafter described, and defined in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved latch mounted upon agate, and upon a latch post toward which the gate swings and is securedby the improved latch; Fig. 2 is an enlarged side view of the improvedlatch, a portion being shown in section taken substantially on the line22 in Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a broken and partly sectional side view of theupper portion of a gate post, a corresponding side view of the upperportion of a gate end bar, and a partly sectional side view of theimproved latch, mounted upon. the post and gate bar and adjusted forholding the bar fastened to the post; and Fig. eis a transversesectionalview of the improved latch tal'in substantially on the line it--41 inFig. 2.

A. bracket plate 5 is provided as a support for other details of thelatch, and as shown, is in the form of a flat metal plate preferablyformed with two similar ears, 0, a, which project laterally andoppositely from the upper portion of the bracket plate; and as shown inFig. 1, said plate is secured in position upon the upper portion of alatching post A, by screws or other means, the heads of the securingscrews appearing in Fig. 2.

Two latch dogs (3, 6 of similar form are principal features of theimprovement, and each dog is in the form of a flat metal bar havingparallel edges, one edge that is up permost in service. being convex andthe lower edge thereof concave, as shown in Fig.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 9, 1908.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

Serial No. 426,039.

2. The outer ends of the latch dogs 6, 6 are roundeo edgewise andtransversely perforated near said edges, for reception of pivot bolts 7,7 which are inserted through these perforations and also through alinedperforations in the bracket plate 5, formed centrally in the roundedears (4, a, these pivot bolts being reduced in diameter where they passthrough the bracket plate, and at their threaded ends receive nuts 7which secure the pivot bolts in place but permit the dogs 6, (3 to rockfreely thereon. At their free ends, the latch dogs 6, (S are eachcenveXedon the arc of a circle that has the axes of the pivot bolts 7,7, as radial centers, and these convexed ends f are suitably spacedapart for a purpose that will hereinafter appear.

Upon the lower transverse edge of the bracket plate 5 and preferablyformed integral therewith, is a track bar 5 that projects outwardly andextends the full width of said bracket plate.

Centrally upon the upper face of the track bar 5, a level surface isprovided as shown at Z) in Fig. 2, and from said horizontal portion theupper surface of the track bar inclines outward and downward an equaldegree, as shown at Z) in the same ure; and it will be noted that thefree ends of the latch dogs 6, 6, rest upon the track bar about wherethe slopes or inclines 6 merge into the horizontal surface 0.

Near the center of length, each latch dog 6 is vertically slottedlengthwise thereof and at the transverse center, these slots 0, 0, onein each dog, being preferably flared on their end walls, thus increasingtheir width at their upper ends.

A tripping bar 8 is a coaotiug detail for controlling the dogs (3, 6,and as shown, is in the form of a flat bar that is curved edge wise andupwardly at and near each end thereof, thus providing two handles 8thereon.

At a preferably equal distance from the longitudinal center of thetripping bar 8, two similar lugs 8 are downwardly extended from thelower edge of said bar, these lugs fitting loosely into the slots 0, c.

There is a short transverse slot (Z formed in each lug 8 which trendsoutward and downward as shown by dotted lines in Fig.

Near the longitudinal center of each slot 0, the defining walls thereofare transversely perforated and in these perforations a pivot bolt cl isinserted, that also passes through a respective slot (Z and may besecured therein at the ends, as is indicated in Fig. 4.

It will be seen that upon raising the trip ping bar 8 at either end 8the latch dog nearest to said handle 8 will be correspondingly liftedfrom the track bar 5, having the lower inner corner of the other latchdog for a fulcrum, and obviously, a downward pressure on either handle 8will raise the latch dog that is farthest from the handdle which hadbeen depressed.

A completing element of the improved gate latch consists of a latchingarm 9, that projects outward from a base plate 9, said plate beingsecured upon the end face of an upright end bar B of a gate that is tobe latched fast to the post A, when the gate is swung from either sidethereof toward the latching post. The arm 9 as best shown in Fig. 2, isconcaved on opposite sides, and

these sides converge upwardly, terminating i at their upper end ina'convex upper edge for the arm, the lower face of said arm being alsoconvened a lesser degree as appears in said figure. The base plate 9 ispreferably slotted vertically at suitable points, as shown at c in Fig.3, for the reception of clamping bolts t), that are passed. through saidslots 0 and thence through opposite perforations in the upright end barB of the gate, whereon the base plate is secured by said bolts and bynuts 0 on threaded ends of the bolts, the heads 0 of the bolts bearingon the outer face of the base plate, as shown in Figs. 3 and at. The lase plate 9 is so positioned on the face of the end bar B, opposed tothe latch dogs (3, that the latching arm 9 will ride upon either slopedsurface 0, when the gate of which said end bar is a portion is swungtoward the post A for closure of the gate.

In operation, assuming that the gate is open from either side of thepost A, an impetus given to the gate which will swing it toward thepost, will cause the latching arm 9, to slide freely up the inclinedsurface of the track bar it approaches, and then lift the adjacent latchdog 6. The arm 9 will then impinge upon the end of the other latch dog6, which will arrest the arm and release the elevated dog, that willdrop by its gravity and have a loose engagement with the opposite sideof the arm 9. lit will be noted that the position of the arm 9, beingbelow the centers of the pivot bolts 7, causes the lower corners of theconveXed ends of the latch dogs (5., to have slight clearance from thearm, when either dog is rocked upward, so that the dogs and tripping bar8, may be freely manipulated for opening of the gate in eitherdirection. It will also be seen that the slight inclination given to theslots (Z in the lugs 8, adapts the weight of the tripping bar 8 to pressupon the pivots (Z and take up any wear or lost motion that may occur,so that rattling of these members of the gate latch is prevented. Byprovision of the vertical slots 0 in the base plate 9, the latter may bevertically adjusted to compensate for an abnormal elevation ordepression of the post A, due to frost or other cause, and alsocompensate for the sagging of the gate on its hinges if this occurs.

.lt is claimed for this improved gate latch that all parts of it may becast from metal into shape, and a strong, reliable, shapely,

' and perfectly operating latch is afforded at low cost. 0

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Pa ten t l. A gate latch, embodying a bracket plate having atrack bar along its lower edge, two similar latch dogs each having alongitudinal vertical slot therein, said dogs at their outer ends beingpivoted upon the bracket plate above the track bar, a tripping bar hawing two depending lugs pivoted in the slots, and a latching armadaptedto ride on the track bar and fall into locked engagement with the innerends of the latch bars.

2. A gate latch, embodying a bracket plate securable on a latching post,a track bar formed on the lower edge of the bracket plate and havingoppositely sloped faces on the upper side, two similar latch dogs eachhaving a vertical longitudinal slot therein, said dogs having the outerends thereof pivoted upon the bracket plate, and their inner endsconveXed, said ends being spaced apart, a tripping bar having twodepending lugs thereon, each having a transverse diagonal slot therein,each lug being pivoted through a respective slot within a correspondingslot in one of the latch dogs, a base plate securable upon an end bar ofa gate, and an arm extended laterally from said base plate, the armhavin concave sides that mate with the convex ends of the latch dogs.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS ROSCOE VARUELL. Witnesses EUNIOE SU'rrLn,

P. H, GRAHAM.

